Southampton Confirm Matt Targett's Move to Aston Villa for Undisclosed Fee

Southampton have announced that Matt Targett has agreed a permanent move to Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee.

Targett is a graduate from the Southampton academy, breaking into the first team in 2014 and going on to make 63 appearances for the club, sandwiched in between a loan spell at Fulham in the back half of the 2017/18 season. 

The club confirmed the news with an official statement on their website, writing: "Southampton Football Club can confirm that Matt Targett has agreed a permanent transfer to Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee.

"The defender’s departure ends a 15-year association with his boyhood club, having joined the Academy at the age of eight. Now 23, Targett made a total of 63 appearances for Saints across five years in the first team, making his debut in a Capital One Cup tie at Millwall in August 2014.

"His only goal for the club, scored in the 3-3 draw with Bournemouth at St Mary’s in April, effectively clinched Premier League survival last season.

"Targett has been an outstanding ambassador for the Academy, setting a fine example for future Staplewood graduates. Everyone at Southampton Football Club would like to thank Matt for his tremendous service and wish him every success in the future."

Villaannounced the news with a not-so-cryptic post on Twitter which contained merely an image of a target alongside a caption containing the eyes emoji.  

They later confirmed the transfer with the hashtag #TargettAcquired, declaring in an official statement of their own: "Aston Villa is delighted to announce the signing of Matt Targett from Southampton for an undisclosed fee.

Head Coach Dean Smith was quick to praise the acquisition, declaring: "We're very pleased to have Matt join us. He's a player we have been looking at for a considerable amount of time.

"He fits our criteria of being a young player with experience of playing in the Premier League and having the potential to develop further. He will help make us a stronger defensive unit and we are all looking forward to working with him."